Richard Yarrow’s opinion for www.startrescue.co.uk, providing low cost Car Breakdown.
A few years ago I was on a trip to Miami to drive some new cars. The motoring correspondent of a popular daily newspaper was also there, and I witnessed him dragging a table and chair into the very shallow end of our hotel’s beach-style swimming pool. I asked what he was doing, and he replied he wanted to write that he was typing his article from in the pool. I suggested he could say that anyway and no reader would ever know it wasn’t true. He replied, in all seriousness, that you should never try to pull the wool over the eyes of the readers.
If you’re viewing this on Tuesday – the day it’s posted – I will be wearing out shoe leather at Press Day of the Geneva Motor Show, Europe’s biggest annual car expo. I could tell you I’m writing this from the exhibition hall floor, and that minutes ago I witnessed the unveiling of the some sensational new concept car. But I’m not going to lie to you; I’m typing this at home in the UK and it’s Sunday.
In the 13 years I’ve been doing this job, much has changed about Press Day. Wi-fi, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, RSS news feeds and video content are all recent innovations. And it means far fewer journalists follow the trail of press conferences that snakes its way across the show floor, before trying to find a square foot of space in the hopelessly overwhelmed Press Room to email reports back to the office.
All the manufacturer show stands now have wi-fi and seating areas, so hacks can perch in comfort, log in and upload words and pictures direct to the Internet within seconds. Maybe one year I will bring this service to you, but unfortunately as a freelancer I don’t have the time. I need to be running round digging for news stories to sell.
Then around 6pm it’s back to the hotel where I will write stories until into the small hours. And rest assured I won’t be anywhere near the pool.
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